Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of fiber optics, and in particular to improved connectors for polarization-maintaining and multicore optical fiber cables.
Background Art
Optical fiber connectors are used to join optical fibers where a connect/disconnect capability is required. The design of optical fiber connectors has been challenging for a number of reasons, including the small diameter of a typical optical fiber, and the need for a secure, low-loss connection between fibers. A further challenge has been presented by multi-fiber optical cables, which have required the development of connectors that can accommodate a plurality of closely-spaced individual fibers.
One issue that has not been satisfactorily addressed by the prior art is the alignment issue presented by fibers requiring rotational alignment. Such fibers, include, for example, multicore fibers and polarization-maintaining fibers. One particularly challenging problem to be addressed is how to provide rotationally aligned connectorization for optical cables containing closely spaced arrays of these types of fibers.